Finally, some news on Diablo III was posted overnight from Blizzard on their official website. The biggest news was that there will be an auction house that functions with real life money in addition to another auction house that is in-game currency only. They've posted FAQs about both features which tell you everything you need to know and we've included them below.

It's worth mentioning that this bombshell--real life money for items in Diablo III--has been received both extremely positively and extremely negatively. It's created a lot of debate and people are very divided about this. Personally, as a WoW fansite, we think this feature can potentially work for the Diablo series but should stay far away from World of Warcraft. However, that's just our personal opinion, and we welcome yours. We can see both sides of the debate clearly and understand people will have different view points.

Diablo III News

Diablo III Beta FAQ

What are your goals for this beta?

The primary reason for the Diablo III beta test is for us to test out our new hardware, see how the server–client infrastructure holds up, and look for bugs in the installer and patcher as well as the game. We’re also looking to get some quality feedback about the beginning game experience and how the different classes feel. The beta test will help us ensure that the release is stable and fun, and that we’re ultimately able to deliver the experience we intend with Diablo III.

How do I sign up for the Diablo III beta test?

To sign up for the Diablo III beta test or future Blizzard Entertainment beta tests, you first need to create a Battle.net account. You can then opt-in to the beta test for Diablo III, as well as beta tests for future Blizzard Entertainment games, through the beta opt-in process. To get started, simply click Beta Profile Settings in Battle.net Account Management. Please note that opting in to a beta test through this method does not guarantee that you will be selected.

If I opted in to the Diablo III beta, how will I know if I’ve been selected to participate?

If you are selected, you will receive an email from Blizzard instructing you to log in to your Battle.net account at www.battle.net if you don’t already have one. You’ll then be able to download the beta client directly from within Battle.net Account Management. We plan on inviting players in waves, so if you do not receive an invitation in the beginning of the testing period, there’s a chance you might receive one in a later wave.

1,000 Diablo III beta keys were promised at BlizzCon; how do I know if I am a winner?

We will be sending out emails with beta keys to winners along with detailed instructions on how to access the beta test. Players who receive a beta key via email will need to create a Battle.net account, click “Add or Upgrade a Game” in Account Management, and enter the key there. The beta client will then be available for download from within Battle.net Account Management.

How long will the beta test last?

We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test. We will notify participants when the beta test is nearing completion.

How many players do you plan to invite to the beta test?

The number of players we invite will be based on our testing needs. If during the course of testing we determine we need more players to participate, we’ll invite more.How are beta test participants selected from the opt-in pool?

Beta testers are chosen according to their system specs and other factors, including luck. Our goal is to have a good variety of system types to best test compatibility.Which regions will be able to participate in the beta test?

All regions will be able to participate in the Diablo III beta test; however, to keep the process as efficient as possible, and ultimately to release the game as soon as possible, we plan to roll out the beta hardware in waves, starting with North America. This means that players outside of North America who are granted access to the beta test may experience some latency issues. Once the new hardware setup has been optimized, we plan to roll it out in additional regions. This should provide a solid connection experience for beta testers in those regions who are connecting to the new local hardware infrastructure.What game content will be available in the beta?You’ll be able to try out all 5 character classes and experience the early stages of Diablo III from the start of the game through the Skeleton King encounter. You’ll be able to interact with new and returning characters in New Tristram and fight the reawakened evils emanating from the cursed Tristram Cathedral. You’ll also experience the randomized elements of Diablo III as well many of the new system designs that take many of the core Diablo design elements to a whole new level.Will the progress I make during the beta test carry over when the game launches?

No, the purpose of the beta test is to ensure that the game and hardware infrastructure are ready to go as soon as possible. The main benefit of participating is being able to be among the first to play the game extensively prior to release. However, everyone will start on equal footing once the game is launched.

Will the Diablo III Auction House be available in the beta?

Yes, we plan on testing the functionality of the Diablo III gold-based auction house during the beta phase.

Will Mac users be able to participate in the beta?

Yes, Mac users will be able to participate in the beta at the same time as Windows-based users.

Diablo III Auction House FAQ

What is the Diablo III auction house system?

Acquiring epic new gear for your characters has always been a big part of the Diablo experience. Because of this, players have found a number of different ways to trade and otherwise obtain items both within and outside of the game. Many of these methods were inconvenient and either tedious (for example, repeatedly advertising for a desired trade in Battle.net chat channels and waiting for responses) or unsafe (e.g., giving credit card information to third-party trading sites). With Diablo III, we’re introducing a powerful auction house system that will provide a safe, fun, and easy-to-use way for players to buy and sell the loot they find in the game, such as weapons, armor, and runes. Two different versions of the auction house will be available in Diablo III: one based on in-game gold, which players acquire through their adventures, and one based on real-world currency.

What’s the difference between the gold-based auction house and the currency-based auction house?

The gold-based auction house uses in-game gold for purchases and sales. With the currency-based auction house, players will be able to conduct these transactions using actual currency from an authorized payment method or from funds that have been added to their Battle.net account. Players can choose to participate in whichever version of the auction house they prefer, on a per-transaction basis.

How does the auction house system work?

Players can open the auction house interface from anywhere in the game to make purchases or list items for sale. Items can be sold from the shared stash (storage shared among all the characters on your Battle.net account) or from any individual character’s inventory. When posting the item, the seller picks whether it will be sold in the gold-based auction house or the currency-based auction house. The item is then held by the auction house system until the listing expires or a purchase is made. Items that are not sold are returned to the seller’s shared stash, and items that are sold are delivered to the winning bidder’s shared stash. In either case, the auction house system will deduct a nominal fixed transaction fee from the seller, the amount of which is determined by whether or not the item was sold (see below). For the currency-based auction house, players will have a few different options for how to pay for item purchases and receive funds for item sales, as discussed elsewhere in this FAQ. There may be differences in how this system will work in different regions of the world. We’ll provide further details at a later date.

How is the transaction fee determined?

A nominal fixed transaction fee will be deducted from the seller for each item listed in the auction house. This fee consists of a fixed charge to list the item, which is assessed whether or not the item is successfully sold, and an additional fixed charge that is assessed only if the item is sold. Because the listing portion of the fee is charged even if the item doesn’t sell, it will be in the seller’s interest to list items he or she believes other players will be interested in, and to do so at a competitive price. Specific details related to the transaction fee for the currency-based auction house will vary by region and will be announced at a later date.

Please note that we plan to waive the listing portion of the fee for a limited number of transactions per account. In other words, for these transactions, the seller will only pay a transaction fee if the item is successfully sold, and that fee will not include the listing charge. We’ll have further details on this as well at a later date. Why are you creating a currency-based version of the auction house?

Our goal with all of our games is to ensure players have a highly enjoyable, rewarding, and secure experience. Acquiring items has always been an important part of the Diablo series, but the previous games have not had a robust, centralized system for facilitating trades, and as a result players have turned to inconvenient and potentially unsafe alternatives, such as third-party real-money-trading organizations. Many of the transactions between players and these organizations led to a poor player experience and countless customer-service issues involving scams and item/account theft, to name a few. To that end, we wanted to create a convenient, powerful, and fully integrated tool to meet the demand of players who wished to purchase or sell items for real-world currency, and who would likely have turned to a less-secure third-party service for this convenience. How will the currency-based auction house work?

Players will be able to make purchases in the currency-based auction house using a registered form of payment attached to their Battle.net account. As with other popular online-purchase services, players will also have the option to charge up their Battle.net account with a balance of funds that can be drawn from for purchases of any digital product available through Battle.net -- this includes not only auction house items but also things like World of Warcraft subscription time and paid services, to name a few examples. On the flipside, when players sell an item in the currency-based auction house, the proceeds of the sale are deposited into their Battle.net account and can then be used as described above. Note that this process might be different for certain regions; we’ll provide further region-specific details as we get closer to launch.

Can players choose to get cash from currency-based auction house sales, instead of having the proceeds deposited into their Battle.net account?

Yes, as an advanced feature, players will have the option of attaching an account with an approved third-party payment service to their Battle.net account. Once this has been completed, proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house can be deposited into their third-party payment service account. “Cashing out” would then be handled through the third-party payment service. Note that this process will be subject to applicable fees charged by Blizzard and the third-party payment service. Also, any proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house that have been deposited into the Battle.net account will not be transferrable to the third-party payment service account. Not all regions will support this advanced feature at launch. Region-specific details, as well as details regarding which third-party payment services will be supported and the fee that Blizzard will charge for the cash-out process, will all be provided at a later date.

Is the currency-based version of the auction house optional?

Yes, the currency-based auction house is available as an option for players who wish to purchase or sell Diablo III items for real money. Players are also able to buy and sell items through the gold-based auction house, and they can trade items with each other as well through direct character-to-character in-game trading.

Why would I want to pay real money to buy or sell in-game items?

Acquiring items has always been a core part of the Diablo series' appeal. With the previous Diablo games, many players have shown a great interest in buying, selling, or exchanging items for their characters using real-world currency, turning to potentially unsafe avenues to accomplish this goal. The currency-based version of the auction house provides players with an easy-to-use, Blizzard-sanctioned way to collect money for items obtained while playing Diablo III. In addition, it helps protect players from scams and disreputable third-party sites by providing a secure, in-game method to search for and purchase items posted by other players that are a perfect fit for their character and play style.

The currency-based auction house is completely optional. Players who aren't interested in paying real money for items will still be able to rely on items they acquire through their own adventures, and they'll also be able to trade with friends and use the full-featured gold-based auction house.

Can I play on a server without a currency-based version of the auction house?

We want to provide a secure, fun environment for our players to purchase and sell in-game items using gold or real money and have no plans to divide the community. Players are free to participate in the gold-based auction house or the currency-based auction house, or to opt out of using any of the auction houses at all, progressing through Diablo III using only the items they obtain through their own adventures or direct trade with other players.

Does Blizzard plan to post weapons, armor, and other such items for sale in the currency-based version of the auction house?

The currency-based auction house is a place for players to purchase or sell items they’ve obtained within the game. Blizzard does not plan to post items that affect gameplay, such as gear or character-enhancing runes, for sale in the auction house.

Will Blizzard sell anything directly through the auction house?

We don't have any plans at this time to post items for sale in the auction house. Does the currency-based auction house signify a shift in Blizzard’s business and revenue model?

We’ve always tailored our business models to match what we’ve felt would be most appropriate and effective for each game and in each region, and that’s the case with Diablo III as well. The item-based nature of Diablo gameplay has always lent itself to an active trade-based ecosystem, and a significant part of this trade has been conducted through unsecure third-party organizations. This has led to numerous customer-service and game-experience issues that we’ve needed to account for. Our primary goal with the Diablo III auction house system is for it to serve as the foundation for a player-driven economy that’s safe, fun, and accessible for everyone.

What’s Blizzard’s cut?

As with other online auction sites and real-world auction houses, our fee structure will vary by region. However, we plan to collect a nominal fixed transaction fee for each item listed in the auction house. This fee consists of a fixed charge to list the item, which is assessed whether or not the item is successfully sold, and an additional fixed charge that is assessed only if the item is sold. The listing portion of the fee, which helps encourage sensible listing prices and discourage the mass posting of items that are very low quality or would be of little interest to other players, will be waived for a limited number of transactions per account. For players who opt to have the proceeds of their auction house sales go to their third-party payment service account instead of to their Battle.net account, Blizzard will collect a separate “cash-out” fee. Specific details regarding these fees will be announced at a later date.

Why would I even want to use the gold-based auction house?

We recognize that not all players would prefer or have the means to participate in the currency-based auction house, and it was important to us to provide these players with a full-featured alternative.

Can we buy gold from the currency-based auction house?

Players will be able to buy and sell gold through the currency-based auction house at whatever the current market price is, as established by the player community.

If I no longer need an item I bought in the auction house, can I relist it in the auction house?

Yes. Once you've purchased an item you can do anything with it that you could if you had acquired it through your own adventures, whether that be using it yourself, or, after a cool-down period, trading it to another character or relisting it on either the gold-based or currency-based auction house. In fact, you can generally do any combination of these things -- for example, you can purchase an item in the auction house, use it for a while, and then relist it or trade it to another character. Aside from certain quest items, there will be very few (if any) items that will be “soulbound” to your character and therefore untradable. Please note that the duration of the cool-down period mentioned above will be discussed at a later date.

What Happens if You're Hacked in Diablo III?

We're not ready to discuss specific account support policies, but in short no small part of the auction house fees goes directly toward supporting the sales that happen. That means guaranteeing that items get from sellers to buyers, the funds transfer, but ultimately helping support and correct any issues that can crop up around it, including account compromise.

But to be clear there's no direct credit card purchases happening. You charge up your Battle.net balance to buy items from other players in the auction house (or build it up from selling items), but someone wouldn't be able to spend beyond what balance you have, and again we're fully supporting such situations.

We do hope people will take the appropriate precautions to protect their accounts, of course.

Molten Front Dailies Sword Speed

The reason for this confusion stemmed from a quirk in the way item hotfixes have to be applied, unfortunately. We hope to have the item's data completely corrected soon so others are not caught off guard by what the tooltip currently states.

Yes, obviously Blizzard needs to fix the tooltip on the pattern and the item if they're not going to just make it 3.80 like it ought to be. But, I think the real question ought to be:

Why isn't it 3.80 anyway?

At 3.80 speed, the weapon was over-performing relative to its cost and the ease with which it can be obtained.

We wanted this weapon to be roughly on par with weapons from the previous tier, since it can be purchased from the Auction House. It wasn't intended to compete as much with current raid drops, as it felt weird that a strength-based DPS crafted weapon was more attractive than some of its counterparts.

BlizzCon Contests Reminder

The wait is over for those eager to share their stunning sketches, masterful machinimas and amazing arias for a chance at glory in this year's BlizzCon contests. Head over to our Contest pages to submit your entry, and learn what kind of sweet loot you can win.&#160; Any questions should be directed to BlizzConContest@Blizzard.com.

Comments

Comment by Arkaen

I'd rather Diablo 3 have the Auction House than a billion item shop sites like Diablo 2 did. Then again, in Diablo 3, I'd imagine the botting would be much less prevalent than D2 anyways.

p.s. first from non-WoW player. <3

Comment by Fulgorater

on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:22:36 -0500

I have to think the start will be like the first of an expansion and the AH in WoW, with the items selling for IRL money fairly high, but after 4-6 weeks, the market will be so saturated from everyone trying to make a buck, the prices will fall down to the floor.

Comment by Interest

on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:26:43 -0500

Now to see if I get a beta key =P

Comment by LordBalrog

on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:42:49 -0500

The fact that items (for the most part) won't be soulbound is an important point. That means any time an item is found, it is forevermore in the in-game economy, it never leaves. This means that while demand stays steady, supply never dwindles, and price will necessarily settle to a low level.

I still have concerns about this and don't like it much, but the built-in price-leveling is a step in the right direction.

Comment by domplol

on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:54:51 -0500

Didn't Know diablo 3 was F2P

Comment by doombringer

on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:54:09 -0500

I don't like it one bit. What happens when the farmers hit this, full on? And the hackers? What if a seller's account is closed for hacking or duping items... and an average joe has purchased one of those items on the AH? Is it taken away from him, is he refunded at all?

How can a regular player compete with AH undercutting when scores of overseas farmers are working in shifts, 24/7, farming items and posting them? Even WoW's AH economy has tanked on most servers due to regular players using it, creating more supply than there is demand.

And of course... the unwritten possibilities. Blizzard doesn't plan to list items on the AH themselves... at this moment.

What does this mean for WoW, and Titan? If you don't think this design philosophy won't creep into their other games... you've got rose-colored goggles on. A month ago, it was Bnet cross-realm premium features. That came out of left field and surprised a lot of people. Now it's this RMT AH in D3. Clearly there is escalation at work here, and I don't think any of it is really making a better game... but it is making Activision-Blizzard more money.

Comment by joecynthia

on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:22:56 -0500

The real intrigue of the new AH will be the allure to gamblers. There will be stories/rumors/fables about players obtaining very rare items and selling them on the AH for umpteen dollars. Others will be driven to try to do the same. Players will grind for hours and hours in hope of finding that large gold nugget. A new form of legalized, virtual gambling will arise. Don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to gambling anymore than I am opposed to casinos, state-run lotteries, Indian bingo parlors, or horse racing. Virtual gambling was bound to happen. Some may say that real money AH's are not gambling, but it is the real money AH's coupled with random drops that create a new gambling vista.

Comment by Rankkor

on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:40:45 -0500

Here's my take on the D3 crapastic AH system:

as an economist I can tell you this is a BAD idea, and I certainly hope they never implement this on wow.

What most people are failing to realize, is that you wont actually make any money via this system in D3. Maybe a litte bit, but nothing major really. Why? Because each dollar you earn is one (more than one, actually) that someone else spent.

Now, of course, some minor fraction of players will spend an extravagant amount. And some minor fraction of players will manage to earn something decent. Generally speaking, however, it's practically zero-sum for the players (with Blizzard making the profit from their cut). So you have no way to gain any advantage over the other jillion people doing Mephisto runs.

Of course you could force yourself to spend nothing and just sell. And that's exactly where the problem lies, since that's what many will do. Guess what will that acomplish? well, that will just rises supply, lowers demands, and thus devaluates the gains in the whole deal.

And then, we get to the final nail in the coffin: There's the eternal undercut problem of AH... added with the fact that you pay Blizz a fee even if an auction doesn't sell. That's just a BAD BAD BAD combo.

this whole thing STINKS.

Comment by Reebs

on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:02:46 -0500

Personally I don't think the point is to let players have a way to earn a good few bucks though, but rather an attempt to work with people who would inevitably be buying items for real like money (And there would be, for sure as always) and provide a Blizzard sanctioned way to do it.

I don't see the point to buying in game items for real life money myself, but as it stands people still do and like it was mentioned in the above post, they usually buy from farming sites that present a decent risk of scams and hacking. If Blizz is experimenting with ways to counter this, I'm fine with it, because at worst it doesn't work out and they can scratch one possible solution off the list.

Comment by Boyne

on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:58:06 -0500

The real intrigue of the new AH will be the allure to gamblers. ...it is the real money AH's coupled with random drops that create a new gambling vista.

Gambling necessarily involves risk. What exactly are these "gamblers" risking? The only thing they stand to lose is the time spent playing, which doesn't qualify as gambling.

People cry about the money aspect but no one is forcing anyone to buy (or sell) items for money. It's just an option. And considering how rampant buying and selling of DII items was, it's no surprise that Blizzard decided to implement this option. Anyone crying about it is delusional. It was already happening. Blizzard has just made it easier (and is getting a little cut of the action too). Nothing wrong with that. Hell it makes it a lot better if only because it eliminates a lot of the scams.

As for the auction fee for listing, that's pretty much how real life auctions work. Nothing new there. If they didn't have that fee then you'd get umpteen thousand morons listing for $5000 in the hope someone would buy it by accident. The only question is what will the fee be. I expect a lot of sellers will up their listing price to try to pawn that fee off on the buyer, but in the end it hardly matters. For the seller it's all found money because the only thing they had to put up for it was the time involved in farming the item. If someone wants to try to make a living off that, well, more power to them.

Finally if Blizzard was going to have a cash option AH in WoW, they would have done it a LOOOOOOONG time ago. But since almost everything of value becomes soulbound in WoW, there's no way Blizzard would add a currency AH unless they removed soulbinding... of course if they ever DO remove soulbinding, then you can bet your a$$ a currency AH won't be far behind. I won't say NEVER, but I will say you might want to start a parka selling company in Hell if it happens.

Comment by OverZealous

Comment by Irshim

The real intrigue of the new AH will be the allure to gamblers. ...it is the real money AH's coupled with random drops that create a new gambling vista.

Gambling necessarily involves risk. What exactly are these "gamblers" risking? The only thing they stand to lose is the time spent playing, which doesn't qualify as gambling.

You get a few free Auction House posts a week then they charge you a fee, if a auction fails... Well Blizzard keeps your money.

Comment by Hortensia0227

on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:55:41 -0500

IMBA system, just giving hackers a target for some quick cash...

Comment by Irshim

on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:16:55 -0500

I hope they will make you have a password or number code when you purchase something. Because when someone gets into your account... Whats stopping them from charging a lot of money. I personally won't use the system, breaking all links with my bank card as soon as D3 hits. I don't feel safe enough.

Comment by montezuma7

on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:45:05 -0500

This is a terrible idea. It's blizzard's way of scamming a bunch of kids into thinking they can make money playing a video game. I'll bet a lot of for sale dlc is right behind this. The consumers are just getting less and less these days.

Comment by ES0T0

on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:27:30 -0500

Perhaps a new race in the Mists of Pandaria expac? if it is an xpac at all. perhaps Pandaran Alliance, Eternals Horde?

1

Post a Comment

Please log in to add your comment, or register if you don't already have an account.